Commentary The Written This powerpoint information taken directly from a powerpoint created by Brent Rohol of Sprucecreek HS. Pictures taken from public photos on www.flickr.com Current design by Michelle Alspaugh, Mt. Vernon HS. The Written Commentary

IB Assessments… where the commentary is

Commentary is “a literary composition with a definite subject consisting of a systematic series of comments or annotations on the text of a literary work.” (OED) (read quote); notice that it says “systematic,” which means that there is an organizational method to the “comments” on a literary work.

used in the creation of meaning An analysis of the words on the page OR an analysis of author techniques used in the creation of meaning The Oxford english dictionary also states that it is an analysis of the words on a page—meaning, you will not necessarily get a “key passage” to discuss when you do your written commentary in 12th grade.

Your Goals with the Commentary “To give a reading of a work which increases the audience’s understanding of it.” Your Goals with the Commentary

Character, Narrator, Speaker Concerns / Motivations of: Character, Narrator, Speaker Movement of Thought The and emotion through the passage

Consider Dominant Effect Endings Titles The “So what?” The ending!! * The title!! (if one is given) * The SO WHAT of the passage or the piece’s literary value * What the dominant effect was meant to be (and how it was achieved). Dominant Effect

Content Structure Language Style Avoid simply stating the obvious.. Though you should actually state the obvious, laying the groundwork for your analysis; without the obvious, we can’t understand the abstract. Go beyond. Show an appreciation of aspects such as content, style, structure, and language. Stating the obvious…

What Sort of world is constructed? Shifts in patterns, voice/tone, imagery, argument What Sort of world is constructed? Examine the shifts/changes/anomalies in a work—look for when there are changes in set patterns, tone, imagery, argument. Consider also: What are the structural, rhetorical, and stylistic elements of the passage?

Sharp-edged critical analysis Mention author’s name to introduce each idea Balance sharp-edged critical analysis with personal impression. - Use the author’s name to introduce each idea (also mention “the reader” frequently). - Your introduction should have some sort of angle or some kind of unifying principle for the commentary response. Mention “the reader” often Personal Impression

vs All commentaries should be structured and fluid in how the argument progresses, not a laundry list of everything you think you found.

3 Ways to Organize Structural Elemental Central Idea ) Structural (stanza by stanza; section by section) 2) Elemental (aspect by aspect; literal content to figurative devices and language features to structural features to emotional levels) 3) Central idea theme that binds the passage together Central Idea

Two Kinds of Commentaries

those who understand that literature is a creation which needs to be examined.

They see the Writer as Creator of narrator or speaker and thus Look at Structure They understand that the writer creates a narrator or speaker. They look at structure. They can discuss the meaning of passages without assuming it is only to be found during a treasure hunt or must inevitably become a lecture about life. 2) Discuss Meaning of passages without assuming it is only to be found during a treasure hunt or must inevitably become a lecture about life.

Literature as a Slice of life Literary features And then, in the second group, there are students who see the poem or prose passage as a slice of life which is to be retold while inserting some mentions of strange phenomena called literary features, before asserting a Higher Meaning… 1st group: can – and do – write good commentaries on almost anything. 2nd group: cannot, because for such students, identifying takes the place of analysis, if they advance past paraphrase at all… “Higher Meaning”

Concentrate on the way in which a character is presented or a scene is set or an image is developed – in other words, 1)identify an element, 2)explain its meaning, 3)connect it to their treatment of the central concerns of the passage Concentrate on the way in which a character is presented or a scene is set or an image is developed

Strength interpretation of the content An integration of: discussion of the technique Assessment of the effects achieved Strength comes in the integration of an interpretation of the content, with a discussion of the technique, going on to assess the effects achieved. The best commentaries offer a personal (not autobiographical) interpretation of the passage or poem, but justify the interpretation with close argument making use of the text for support.

The ideal commentary treats literary techniques as inseparable from meaning (with a focus on how the features develop meaning)

Stronger candidates stated a kind of overview of what the piece was about, and then set about showing how this was achieved.

The basis of the commentary Words, words words . . . Students must do careful examination of particular words. The basis of the commentary activity needs to be the piece itself (its words, etc) Like essays, write with control and calm ,deliberate confidence. Do NOT use too casual a register – this is a critical literary experience. The basis of the commentary

Open to Interpretation ? Examiners commented on the effectiveness of those papers in which candidates acknowledged the possibility of several interpretations of a piece, arguing in a BALANCED FASHION in support of each. Don’t be afraid to admit that a particular line or phrase seems or is ambiguous OR was deliberately constructed to be ambiguous (or abstract/less than concrete).

Always Tie Technique with Meaning Don’t do a paragraph on imagery when you haven’t put the function and role of imagery into perspective with the larger aims of the author/passage. Always Tie Technique with Meaning

Problems

Metaphor Resist the urge to simply list what you see. Greater effort should be placed on the effect of the literary feature on the meaning of the passage. Mere naming of features will not gain high marks Resist the urge to simply list what you see.

interpretation. Strike a balance between literal reading and over- Many students believe that it is necessary to find a hidden or a higher meaning. This leads them to present readings which cannot be supported except by ignoring or distorting the evidence of the texts.

the passage or poem is not a kind of puzzle with a definite solution. In the commentary, many candidates latch on to details and squeeze everything into a ‘symbolic’ reading: the passage or poem is not a kind of puzzle with a definite solution. If you feel yourself guessing or “stretching” an idea in order to make it work, you are probably over-interpreting. Most passages are not extended metaphors with symbolic levels.

DO NOT turn commentaries into lengthy, personal, pseudo-philosophical musings on the themes raised by the passages.

“ ” Quotation quotation Many students either failed to use quotation marks or only referred to line numbers. Others quote large sections to no purpose. Support must be presented to accompany each assertion ”